Patrick Evans will come on board as the new CEO of Dominion Diamond Corp., which operates the Ekati (pictured here) and Diavik diamond mines in Canada. The company has been without a CEO since Brendan Bell left in June.

Patrick Evans will join Dominion after working for nearly 12 years as CEO of Mountain Province Diamonds Inc., the company that runs the Gahcho Kué mine in partnership with De Beers. Before that, he spent four years as the president and CEO of Kennady Diamonds, which owns a diamond project northeast of Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories.

In an emailed statement, The Washington Companies President Lawrence R. Simkins said: “Patrick has a long and successful track record in the industry and brings a wealth of diamond mining experience ... Having operated a mining company in the Northwest Territories, Patrick already has a familiarity with the region and strong relationships with local officials and indigenous leaders.”

Dominion has two mines in Canada’s Northwest Territories--Ekati and Diavik, of which it owns 40 percent (Rio Tinto owns the rest).

It is the third largest producer of rough diamonds by value in the world, behind De Beers and Alrosa, with sorting and selling operations in Canada, Belgium and India, and the rights to the CanadaMark diamond brand.

The transaction, which is valued at $1.2 billion, is expected to close in the fourth quarter.